7 Things You Didn't Know About Germany! | Feli from Germany

[@FelifromGermany]

What's something about Germany/the US/your home country that completely BLEW YOUR MIND when you found out about it? 😅

[@FreddieHg37]

Not me in particular (since I've known this since elementary) but it has surprised people I've told: Mexico's two first democratically elected constitutional Presidents were of Black ancestry: Guadalupe Victoria nicknamed "The Black Eagle", a renowned Independence General, followed by Vicente Guerrero, an Afromexican General, veteran of the Independent Mexican war and after whom the state of Guerrero was named; one of Hidalgo's and Morelos' (independent leaders and founding fathers of Independent Mexico) cardinal purposes was to abolish slavery of all kinds and after Independence was consumated, Mexico abolished slavery and many slaves and indigenous peoples escaped and left the USA to be sheltered in independent Mexico, becoming free people. Many years before slavery was abolished in USA, Mexico had its first Afroamerican presidents as soon as it became a Republic after the war of Independence, this was almost 200 years before Barack Obama was elected as President of the USA, to put things in perspective.

[@clarencesmith2305]

Feli I have said this before if you get a chance you and your husband should come out to the west and check out the Mt Angel Oktoberfest in Mt Angel Oregon.

[@ProductKingReviews]

Someone told me there were some areas in Germany, areas with like Brothels that Heroin use is legal. Can’t recall which location in Germany I was told.

[@thatguy8869]

Getting back to German prisons, they appear to be much better places to live than even many of the poorer neighborhoods in the US, let alone US prisons. So is there a penalty for Americans breaking into German prisons? I'd love to see a video on Germany's top 5 -10 Weihnachtmarkts that are the most UNDER rated or appreciated.

[@jonathanfinan722]

A friend of mine was in a relationship with a US chap when she was at uni. He was from Rhode Island. Eventually she found her way over there to meet his parents and, after a stultifying meal at home, somebody said “Who wants to for for a beer?” She was thrilled and couldn’t get her coat on quickly enough. About half a dozen of them went to the nearest bar and got some drinks set up. She drank hers and offered to get her round in and she was berated immediately. Apparently going out for a beer meant just that; a beer. My cousin got into slightly more trouble at uni in Boston whilst he was there for a year. He got drunk a couple of times in one term and he was compelled to visit some kind of therapy sessions. Naturally he refused and he got thrown out.

[@WujiErTaiji]

My dad has been in prison in Germany and escaped during "Freigang" after he was in there for 4 years and after living in Germany for a couple of months he managed to escape to the Philippines for seven years (I swear this is true). When he came back he technically would've needed to go back to prison for 3 more years but the judge looking at his case let him go after two weeks because he decided his initial sentence was to long. This is probably something unimaginable in most countries.

[@andresvillarreal9271]

Many in the USA are probably having a coronary event after reading your comment, but rejoining society after paying your debt must be part of the "correctional" part of the supposedly correctional system that every country has. If the judge was correct in his/her assessment that the debt was paid, rejoining society was the only reasonable path for your dad.

[@elgatofelix8917]

You can be jailed in Germany for not having the right opinions or just being skeptical.

[@jennyh4025]

@@elgatofelix8917please do tell, give me a publicly available case where that happened and that person did not do anything else that was illegal.

[@andresvillarreal9271]

@@elgatofelix8917 I am pretty sure that you are over-extending the meaning of the laws to the point of absurdity. Please give me an example of your claim that is not related to the Nazis or accept that you are at the very threshold of slander. You may not agree with the prohibition against Nazi apologetics, and I don't agree either, but the Germans are so much more reasonable than you that they don't even seem to be of the same species as you are.

[@MsRotorwings]

If he escaped a US prison he’d likely have to serve seven years. It’s up to the Judge to decide if the sentence runs concurrently or consecutively.

[@char6364]

Hi, recent new subscriber from the UK! I've been (slowly) learning German for over a decade and watching a few of your videos has really helped with understanding some of the cultural nuances of a country and its language that you just can't get from years of school-teaching, textbooks and Duolingo! 😅 People typically connect the UK and Germany with aristocracy, football and historical wars but both share a massive motorsports culture. A big avenue to the German language for British kids from engineering families I grew up around was through watching the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft - Die DTM - on the MotorsTV and Eurosport channels at weekends. It was a pretty big deal 15-20 years ago because most of the best drivers at the time were either British (driving for Mercedes) or German (usually driving for Audi). It came off the back of a superstar German driver named Frank Biela and Audi turning up in the British championship in the late 90s and dominating everyone so a lot of us wanted to see if the Brits could go to Germany a few years later and get some friendly revenge - which they occasionally did! I guess you could call it a 'Dinner for One' type of tradition except for 90s and 00s British kids from racing families. For me it weirdly meant knowing the meaning and pronunciation of terms like 'Rennen' und 'Unfall' before even Vater und Mutter. Even years later, well into my adulthood, I still hear meme phrases like *"SCHIEB IHN RAUS!"* among friends - all thanks to the DTM. Random but thought you might appreciate hearing what got a whole community of British kids into the wide world of German language and culture!

[@AV-we6wo]

Thanks for sharing this story! It's always interesting to learn something new about how or when people came first into contact with some (seemingly arbitrary) parts of German culture, and simultanously learn something about their culture in the process.

[@OscarOSullivan]

That is very interesting

[@GGysar]

00:00 Intro 00:45 It's not illegal to break out of prison 02:22 Litokam ad 04:31 Germans get 4-6 weeks of vacation 05:57 Prostitution is legal 07:01 The Autobahn has speed limits 09:04 Oktoberfest is not a cultural holiday 10:32 Nazi symbols are illegal 12:04 German Taxis are Mercedes 13:24 Outro

[@starseed8087]

spoiler alert 😅

[@Jost2011]

Thanx a lot! 😘

[@stephengamber8749]

Thanks! This is what I was looking for!

[@sarahgilbert8036]

Nothing surprising in that list

[@awakendsails]

lol at intro and outro on that list.

[@JerryJerow]

Thanks!

[@jonlynn1864]

I lived in Germany for 22 years total. When I moved back to the US some of the questions I got (well still get) really show me we Americans sometimes 'just don't get it' My biggest gripe is the question "How can you drink hot beer?" After years of trying to explain the simple (to you and I) but seemingly complex explanation to my fellow Americans.....I just walk away now🙄 And trying to explain the bretzen, wonderful simplicities...........................I could go on and on, but just one more big issue. Try and explain the wonderfulness of fresh Brotchen, to this day I cry for what my American family will never get to experience...............oh well.......Tschuss!

[@roerd]

A slight correction regarding sick days: only up to six weeks are paid by the employer. After that, people are paid a reduced amount by their medical insurance instead. (This is not per year, but for a single illness, though. If you fall ill with a different cause, the previous sick days are not counted towards that.)

[@j3nn3s]

And then there are also those companies, which after those six weeks pay you the "missing" part which aren't covered by medical insurance at least for some more weeks (without being legally obligated to do so).This helps one for example to fully heal a broken leg without any financial losses.

[@a.r.r.i.9841]

That's not correct. The six weeks for the same disease can be counted "together" it doesn't have to be 6 weeks in a row in all cases. After 72 weeks you have to go back working, try to get pension or have a really big problem because you can't be sick for the same cause anymore 😢

[@adrianocelentano9973]

You can always be sick for the same cause, that’s not right what you telling here 👍🏽 I’m living here and went through a lot myself. You can even deny telling your company what disease you having. After 6 weeks the insurance company is paying you 80% of your Income till you’re healthy. You just need to go to your doctor every 3 weeks to check on your progress

[@nickhirst7192]

Not true. Work = get paid, No work = don't get paid. Why lie about this?

[@davidtaylor9999]

@@nickhirst7192you realize this is about Germany, not US. Germany=good. US=sucks.

[@blondkatze3547]

From northern to southern Germany there are many festivals that you can visit all year round. City festivals, Lake festivals, music festivals , etc. Yes, in southern Germany is the Oktoberfest the most famous folk festival. In the north there is also the Bremer free market, the Hamburger Dom, the Oldenburger Kramermarkt , etc. They have been a very long time and they also have an old historical history. I would recommend visiting the beautiful Christmas markets throughout Germany during the Christmas season, it is worth it.

[@Harzer-Roller]

Don’t forget the greatest Schützenfest in the world in Hanover.

[@matthiasthemann]

Stoppelmarkt in Vechta 😊

[@jurgenjurdengirtler]

Fassenacht in Määnz am Rhoi! (Carnival in Mainz am Rhein)... oder Köln...

[@akumasstorytime3910]

Hey! Hamburger Dom > everything else. Cheers from a hamburger.

[@albertmarnell9976]

Hummel Hummel@@akumasstorytime3910

[@lenaameling157]

It isn't really the companys that pay your wedge for sick days. I mean they do pay you but they get the money back from the insurance company the employee is registered in. If you are sick for more than 6 weeks for the same reason, you don't get payed fully anymore and you start getting "Krankengeld" directly from the insurance company. So thank god we have a good health insurance system in Germany!

[@katiemossi5975]

Feli, I love your videos! I was born in Bavaria to American parents so I was back in the states before age 2. I am mostly German and part Austrian by heritage. Your videos help me learn about my "homeland"! Plus you're super cute and expressive! ❤

[@Newtonlopez07]

Hello

[@WOOF95]

Who knew?? Not us in the US. Another cultural gem of a video!! Excellent!!

[@Texas-Chris]

Mercedes are very well built cars. I have seen the old models that were built back in the 70s with the diesel engines still running and selling for a lot more than you would expect a 40 year old car to be worth. I’m not a big drinker so Octoberfest is more of an opportunity to celebrate family and good food to me. Blessings to you Feli and Ben !!!

[@markrossow6303]

_were_ really well-built -- like Boeing Airplanes -- the bean-counter MBAs wrecked the engineer-based culture at both companies

[@Texas-Chris]

@@markrossow6303 very interesting point; both companies have definitely changed.

[@NameGoesHere341]

Thanks Feli… been a rough summer for me. A positive happy video made me feel better.

[@christopherbova8109]

Yes please do a video about the German philosophy of prison

[@frhaber]

You should come to Kitchener, Ontario, Canada next October for our 'Oktoberfest' which is second largest in the world, next to Munich. This area was settled by a large number of Germans, and Kitchener was known as Berlin, until the First World War.

[@sandybee4865]

I'm 4th gen German residing in Southern California, (54,f). I was fortunate enough to visit Germany at the age of 15, (1984). So many beautiful impressions, as well as some amazing and different experiences. One of those being that every City vehicle I saw was Mercedes Benz. Mercedes-Benz in SoCal is a sign of prestige, esteem, and wealth. It was so amazing to me that the rubbish vehicles, taxi cabs, and other government vehicles were Mercedes-Benz As a visitor, I took many a picture of the Mercedes-Benz trash trucks. Love the irony of a Mercedes-Benz trash truck.

[@IggyStardust1967]

My first wife took me to Germany back in 2005, and I felt SO at home there. My family came to the US from Germany in the late 1800s, so I carry German blood in me. My first wife, Rose, was born in Munich, and before she died in 2006, she wanted to go back for the last time. She took me with her, and we spent 3 magical weeks there. Two weeks in Munich with her mother, and one week in Zandt with her brother's family. We attended Oktoberfest several times, and I was absolutely floored by how nice everyone was. I still celebrate "Oktoberfest", and go to the local variations when we can afford it, because "any reason to drink a lot of good beer" works for me. =D

[@denpobedy7881]

To absent friends!

[@tobi8]

I find it interesting how you immediately feel at home in your original home country, even though you didn't grow up there. The same thing happened to me.

[@Newtonlopez07]

Hello

[@annakorobeinikova782]

I live in Munich for 9 years, dont know why I still watch your videos. Oh wait, probably because they are so fun and it is still interesting to compare "bavarian view on Germany living abroad vs my non-german foreigner living in Bavaria view on Germany" 😄👍👏 thank you for the entarntaining content 😊

[@tanjakremer2659]

Ich liebe einfach deine Videos. Alles ist immer so gut recherchiert und einfach erklärt in Englisch. Ausserdem bewundere ich echt deine akzentfreie Aussprache. Ich hoffe dass ich irgendwann so sprechen kann. Es wäre toll wenn du mal ein Interview mit meinem Lieblings Online-Englischlehrer (Speak English with this Guy) machen würdest. Das wäre großartig! Alles Gute für dich!

[@albertmarnell9976]

Aber was ist mit mir? Bin ich für dich nichts anderes als gehackte Hühnerleber?

[@Newtonlopez07]

Hello

[@albertmarnell9976]

Warum ist es heute in New York so schwer, Lübecker Marzipan zu finden? Ich bin mit norddeutschem Essen und natürlich amerikanischem und internationalem Essen aufgewachsen. Aber es ist so schwer, echte deutsche Gerichte zu finden. Man denkt hier, dass die Deutschen nur Wurst und Aufschnitt essen. Meine Oma und meine Mutter aus Hamburg haben die leckersten Mahlzeiten.

[@CrayWood-f9f]

In the early 1990s, I was a UK Engineering student studying German. Had a placement job in Germany but was cancelled due to the Wall economy. After Uni, moved to Orlando, Florida. Drivers on Interstate-4 act like it is the Autobahn.

[@HaleyMary]

The 4 to 6 weeks of vacation sounds amazing! In Canada, I've never been able to have more than two weeks off. I must say sometimes if I'm feeling really stressed during the winter months and also just want to hibernate away from the cold weather, I wish Canadians could take at least a month off to relax.

[@tubina8912]

We usually don't take all the vacation days at once. Common is to take one longer time of per year (e.g. summer holidays) and then split the other days in shorter periods or longer weekends or even single days we take off.

[@Holilo7]

In Germany you have 24-34 days of paid vacation as standard, but you only have to take it for Monday to Friday, since Saturday and Sunday are free anyway. There are also 13 paid public holidays. Plus special leave for your e.g. own wedding or family bereavement. Overtime should also be paid as vacation rather than pay. I know people who were sent on "forced vacation" by their boss because many months of vacation had already accumulated.

[@a.r.r.i.9841]

​@@Holilo7 Well, it depends on the nature of your work. Naturally that's not true for health workers, policemen, firemen aso. They have to take holidays on weekends too. In hospital it's a bit complicated. We have to apply for all days the year before based on a plan how we should work the next year ( which hasn't really something to do with the actual working plans due to sickness, understaffed etc). You can only apply for holiday on days marked for working not on "free" days, but it doesn't mean these days will be actually free on your working plan the following year. So we have additional "blue" days to mark our wishes for free days in between holidays. That's real fun. And the number of nurses allowed to get holidays at the same time is restricted especially as we are a small ward with many part time nurses. Tough negotiations every year 🎉😂😂😂

[@a.r.r.i.9841]

PS In hospital we have 30 days for full-time for 50+. I think the younger ones get 28 days + additional 2-3 days a year depending on how many shift changes you had . Not allowed to save days, otherwise they just expire.

[@gazzas123]

In the public service in Australia we get 20 days vacation per year. There is also an annual leave loading on 17% the vacation pay, after 10 years we get 3 months long service leave, this is a hangover when Australia was a British colony and travel back to Britain too a long time. Sick leave tends to be 10 to 15 days.

[@kenpatton8761]

My favorite festival is Fasching. The best part is that each village has their own „weekend“ party celebration. So we could just go village to village every weekend! I lived at a Gasthaus while stationed there (USAF). I was the only American in my village and was invited to join in during the festivities. Weddings, funerals, Christmas, New Years, May Day, Fasching and Octoberfest. I had a wonderful experience in your home country. My next trip is to Garmisch in May. It will be my wife‘s first trip overseas!! Prost!!

[@brendamertes9472]

Thank you so much for addressing the myth of Oktoberfest!

[@hull5768]

There are more castles in Germany than McDonald's in the US.

[@ReaperKezia]

There are more Marijuana dispensaries than Starbucks & McDonald's combined in Oregon

[@marcromain64]

The food in these castles is better, too. Even in the dungeons. 😉

[@RingsLoreMaster]

Thank God

[@berniej.rucker4252]

I doubt that, in my home town alone of 56,000 citizens we had four and two of them were within only 5 miles away from each other.

[@TimoGrebe]

​​@@berniej.rucker4252google is your friend... there are about 25000 castles in Germany, and about 14000 McDonald's restaurants in the us. But not every castle looks like Neuschwanstein...😊

[@dirtcop11]

When Eisenhower went to Germany after WWII he was impressed by the Autobahn. He probably reflected on his cross country trip in the US after WWI. It was alarming. In the 1950s he proposed the Interstate system, which drew a lot of ideas from the Autobahn. There is a popular Octoberfest in Missouri in a town named for a first century German hero, Herman. He defeated 3 Roman legions in Germany, nearly wiping them out.

[@patrickdebonis6493]

During the early 1930's, Germany sent several of their engineers to the US to study our fledgling highway system. The Nazis were credited with the idea of the Autobahn, but this was pure propaganda. In fact, the Weimar Republic laid the groundwork for it, but lacked to funds to make it happen. The Nazis did in fact fund it, and fund it in a big way. But it was not their original idea.

[@pucciborg]

What always blows my mind is your charisma and sweetness. 😊

[@davesaunders7080]

How good all roads in Germany are,just finishing 18 days driving all over Bavaria and the quality of roads is amazing from the Autobahn to the smaller regional roads most are so well surfaced.

[@jankrusat2150]

It depends on who owns the roads and is responsible for their maintenance. Federal highways, like the German interstate Autobahns, but also Bundesstraßen (denoted with a letter "B", like B50), are usually in very good condition. The same applies to larger state owned highways (Landstraße). but smaller roads owned by the counties ("Landkreise", like "L204") might just have potholes patched, depending on the budget of the county and the importance of the road. E.g. the "L204", which runs through my village in Rhineland-Palatinate, used to have a lot of patches, but was only used by locals and farmers. Until we got a tourist attraction in our village and it became crowded with tourists (who also brought in money). Then the road was completely rebuilt and brought to modern standards, including making some intersections with a high number of accidents safer.

[@laktho]

Fun fact: Autobahns without speed limits have to ensure that there is no bump in the road that might get a car "flying" ;)

[@Wena-cy3ox]

The Roads in Germany are not the best. Many potholes, especially in East Germany. You answered the question by yourself. In Bavaria streets are very good. Other Areas not so good.

[@Wena-cy3ox]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXmzYZ59bNt7ebM

[@seamusdraide3589]

This is because the federal ministry of traffic was for many occupied by a bunch of thieves and robbers (CSU) only caring for the well-being of there home state (Bavaria), and not the whole of Germany... Get a trip around the Ruhrgebiet and you´ll learn better.

[@svendulleck3546]

Hallo Feli, ist erst das zweite Video von dir das ich sehe, Abo läuft, toller content bin echt begeistert. Am besten war das heilige Oktoberfest, hab mich weg geschmissen. Wäre nie auf die Idee gekommen das man in Amerika so etwas denkt. Freut mich auf neue Videos, hier in Deutschland.

[@florianvdb7444]

Driving over the Autobahn during my vacation I noticed the very frequent change of speedlimit in a matter of a few kilometers. Going from 130 to 80 to 100 to unlimited and so on... Also the speed limit signs are really small! (I'm from the Netherlands, here the signs are much larger.) You can easily overlook a sign! Luckily the fines aren't as high in Germany as in the Netherlands...

[@ChrisTian-rm7zm]

Fall is the season for beer and wine festivals in Germany. This is due to the fact that in former times beer did not have such a long shelf life and the barrels had to be drunk empty before the new beer was brewed in winter. Beer used to be brewed in winter because then there was enough ice for cooling and storage. Also in fall the harvest was over and there was more time to celebrate and enjoy life. Nowadays these things are no longer important , but the tradition has survived.

[@albertmarnell9976]

How do I know that this is really Feli? It is really Albert. Tell me who the picture associated with me is of?@officialFelifromGermany

[@marcromain64]

Is it just me or is Feli talking much louder since she moved to the US for good? 😉

[@Irishfan]

It's just you! You turned the volume up on your device! 😊

[@starseed8087]

Yeah I think you are right

[@harrydehnhardt5092]

@@Irishfan No, she clearly speaks louder than usual, you can hear that in the sound of her voice. American enthusiasm?

[@macunac7893]

It's the result of an interesting german-usamidwest accent mix.

[@ronaldderooij1774]

@@harrydehnhardt5092 Stress...

[@DMUSA536]

So many good memories from when I was stationed in Berlin then Grafenwoehr and Bayreuth 1975-1978. Went back in 2018 with my son. Going back next year.

[@thjones2]

It's been 20ish years since Ive had a job that didn't put "sick" and "vacation" into s single "PTO" pool. It's VERY common and a huge part of why people that even have PTO come to work sick: not wanting to sacrifice vacation days.

[@HalfEye79]

In Germany I even was scolded at, when I came to work, when I have a litte bit of a cold.

[@alexk3661]

@@HalfEye79 Well thats because in germany the employer have to take care of the heals for it employees. e.g. if its to hot (water/cooling), if ya sick (send you home). But not all employers do act in this way because they "loosing" money. Just at a fact, the employer has only pay for 6 weeks per year if you´re ill, after that youll get money from your (statutory health insurance (?)) guess thats the name.

[@alexk3661]

@@J.U... Ist mir bekannt aber es geht eigentlich um die Anzahl der Krankentage bzw. den Umgang damit.

[@thjones2]

@@HalfEye79 Yup, and the American PTO norms are just another reason, on top of the politicization of masking and vaxxing, that COVID hit so hard here. Before, it was mostly an annoyance. Thank god I'm able to mostly work from home.

[@scottweisel3640]

It’s interesting that the Reeperbahn signs are all in English.

[@MrBencher446]

Great video Feli, I have been to Germany and really enjoyed my time there. I met a lot of really nice people and the food is so delicious. 👍🏻

[@stevennelson9504]

They have been out of business for some time now, but I remember seeing Checker taxis. Checker was a car company that only made taxis. The rear seat area was very roomy and they had a large trunk.

[@Bahnfan2024]

Vielen Dank für all diese Informationen! Ich mag deinen Kanal, ich habe alles über deine anderen Videos gesehen.

[@andreasober2740]

Funny you should mention the vacation time in Germany. Since moved back from the US last year after living there for 33 years, my employer makes fun of me because I don't know or comprehend how much vacation I legally have to take. Just today I sat down with my boss because I have 3 weeks left to take before the end of the year and since I work for a large online retailer November and December is not optional. Have fun when you visit in October and if you two make it to Regensburg, drop me a line and we can go for coffee.🙂

[@lkrnpk]

Yeah it sometimes gets like that even if you do not gave US work experience, in Europe too there are still people who like their work and often do not need that much vacation actually at least during.m a certain year, I have had the same thing happen with me that vacation days just pile in and then the boss says that I need to take them or legally it will cause problems for company

[@heckelphon]

Great explanation and commentary! I do love the way that at 14:12 the automatic subtitles took "Volksverhetzung" (incitement to hatred) and rendered it as the only word starting with those 5 letters which it knew: "Volkswagen"!

[@dawnliphard9591]

The prison break was news to me, 5 I think I had a passing knowledge of. As for the autobahn speeds that one I experienced first hand while stationed in Germany with the army. Usually it didn’t bother me as the areas we were traveling in weren’t connecting major cities. The craziest for me was the Monday morning drive to Wiesbaden (from Bamberg) the stretch was 8 lanes, and the far right slow lane was going on average of 100mph(160 klm) Totally had me white knuckling the drive.

[@edwinvermeulen8187]

@officialFelifromGermany I live in the netherlands, and i purposely drive about 200km longer on holidays towards the south of france, by going trough germany. The condition of the roads, and time spend makes it that i actually save time, by going trough germany And its nice to be able to floor it for multiple hours at a time. German autobahns are awesome, however, don't EVER speed while there is construction happening, not only is that extremely dangerous for the workers, its has some of the most hefty fines you'll ever see.

[@rjsieder]

The company I worked for in the US didn't have sick days, and when I joined, I found that odd, but enlightened. When you are sick, you stay home. Of course, some people took advantage of it, and that's where management came in. But the vast majority of employees appreciated the policy and didn't abuse it. I got to drive in Germany the other day for the first time. While not on an Autobahn, I was on a highway that had a section with no speed limits. Only a few cars came flying by, and quickly came upon traffic that slowed them down. I found the "keep to the right" culture quite refreshing.

[@histfan71]

Something about Germany that blew my mind the memory of WWII in Germany. Back in the early 2000s I traveled to Munich and went to a beer garden in Concordia Park. On wall of the beer garden was a large memorial to the employees of the beer garden who were killed in WWI. It was made out of marble and it had a carving of a German helmet and an Iron Cross and all of the names, about 20 of them, were carved into the marble with the date they were killed and some even had the unit they served with carved as well. There was also a memorial to the beer garden employees who were killed during WWII. This memorial was very different. This memorial was made out of metal, perhaps copper, and it was shaped into an oval. It was much smaller and only had the dates "1939-1945" painted on it along with only the names of the killed employees. No dates of death or the units the employees served with were on the memorial. This memorial also only had 5 or 6 names on it. I found the difference between the two memorials and the very different ways the Germans remember WWI and WWII to be facinating.

[@juavi6987]

Actually the First World War isn't much present in the collective memory at all -as it is totally overshadowed by the Second World War and its aftermath. It changed maybe a bit in 2014, when it was a hundred years after the start, but it is a huge difference to Britain, for example.

[@blaumupi]

These memorials were created at different times. After the 1st World War the population was still much more partiotic than after the 2nd World War. This is reflected in the form of the memorials. Such memorials about the dead of the two world wars can be found in almost every town or village. There are also occasional memorials of the 1964, 1866 and 1870-71 wars.

[@patrickkeller2193]

@@blaumupi We caused both World Wars, but in effect WW1 is just seen as yet another war that we happen to have lost. WW2 is seen as the greatest atrocity in the history of mankind.

[@petercollingwood522]

@@patrickkeller2193 You did niot. I'm not going to go into the reasons for WW1 starting here. There's not enough bandwidth on the entire internet. But German did not cause WW1. It was far more complex than that. And the origins are an important field of study for serious Historians because of paralles to the current world situation. WW2 was just chapter two.

[@Humpelstilzchen]

​@@patrickkeller2193No not the first

[@le_Nick]

3:04 Die beste Kamera hier in Deutschland sind eindeutig die Senioren 😜, danke für das tolle Video und Liebe Grüße aus Dortmund

[@daveglander1]

One thing that really surprised me when I was in Munich was how many people actually wear traditional leiderhosen and Bavarian dress. I know it's a fun thing, and a lot of people were out and about having fun dressed up like that. I thought it might a cultural cliche, like London cockneys dressed up in suits with coins, Spanish people wearing Sombreros or scottish people wearing kilts. Glad to say that it's still quite popular in Munich.

[@seamusdraide3589]

Could it be you´ve been there around the Oktoberfest? I think it´s much less popular during the rest of the year.

[@margretblaswich6229]

There are no sombreros in spain, they belong to mexico

[@jeffjones4654]

In Mainz, there were several wine fests each year.

[@patrickdebonis6493]

I love the Weinfest when I was in Mainz. The last time I was there was 1983. I'm glad they still have it.

[@dpsonnenberg4537]

Thank you for the video. I can't wait for the next show.

[@leighmccormack6330]

When I lived in Germany, there was a minimum speed limit on the Autobahn of 80K. Also, the tip is included in the price of the meal. But if you get awesome service, you round up with the waiter & don't leave a tip on the table. When you visit someone's house/apartment for 1st time, bring flowers but never red roses as they are for your sweetheart(Schatz). An insult to the cook was to put cigarettes out in your leftover food or plate. And the Stammtisch was a reserved table for regulars, and you were not to sit at that table unless invited. If the restaurant is full, but there is a table with 1 or 2 seats available, you can sit at that table after asking if those seats are open/free. Oh, paying to use the restrooms. And never ask for water in the restaurant. You will get Sprudel (sorry if misspelled- haven't written German since I left). Granted, I left in 89, but I am sure these traditions are still in place. Please let me know. That's all that I can think of.

[@GettNumber]

yeah paying for bathrooms is still somewhat common. I was in line to pay for the bathroom in a train station, and the person in front of me paid but forgot their WC-ticket. they turned around and asked to get their ticket. I shrugged and gave them a little wave, since I thought "well, they would only be in the bathroom because they already paid". they were not a fan of my non-chalant response and insisted I give them the ticket, holding up the line. once I gave it to them, they said some very interesting things in german as they walked away

[@jensbarlau2256]

Hi there, there is a common misconsection about the minimum speed limit on the Autobahn. This does not mean that you have to ga at least 80 km/h. You will not get fined if you drive lower than that. But vehicle you drive in on the Autobahn has to have the ABILITY to go over 80km/h to be allowed to drive there due to its specifications.

[@Eysenbeiss]

@@jensbarlau2256 Falsch - wenn du weniger als 80 fährst, was die Richtgeschwindigkeit ist und dadurch eine Störung des fließenden Verkehrt verursachst, zahlst du und zwar mindestens 50 Euro. Kommt es dadurch zum Unfall, sind es 250 Euro und zwei Punkte in Flensburg. Genau deswegen darfst du auch nur mit Fahrzeugen auf die Autobahn, die diese Geschwindigkeit schaffen, mit einem Traktor also z.B. nicht.

[@Eysenbeiss]

You get the water you want, cause you get asked which one you want. If you're not answering, whatever reason this might have, you get sparkling water and the main difference is, that you have to pay for it. The "Tip" is not included, that is wrong and has been wrong in the 80s as well. There is just no law or common concept of it and people get what the customers think their service was worth, but yes, you hand it to the waiter in person, not on a plate.

[@cheleya2721]

The minimum speed on the Autobahn is 60 km/h, not 80. Regarding water, you will have to pay for not sparkling water as well as for sparkling water unless you ask for "Leitungswasser" - flat water - and the restaurant is allowed to charge you, but many of them don't - at least if you also order other drinks or food. I know quite some places in which e.g. you order a coffee and a flat water and only the coffee will be charged. However, as I said, the restaurant is not obliged to give it to you for free.

[@garydell2023]

Been a while. This was interesting. Thank you. Oh, good to see you again.

[@alessandrozara924]

Also here in Italy is considered illegal the evasion from prison but also from other kind of arrests, for example house arrest. To avoid the evasion from house arrest, sometimes the criminals are obligated to wear a device called electronic bracelet, which allows the police or the carabinieri agents to control them also remotely.

[@andreasbraess3759]

The electronic ankle bracelet we in Germany, also knew for person on probation the cam got to work and no go to playground when she abuses children or should avoid certain people.

[@donkeysaurusrex7881]

People in the US can get house arrest and the ankle bracelets too. Buddy of mine lived in China. He said there it was legal to fight the police if they tried to arrest you because it was there job to catch you not your job to get arrested.

[@craigcraigster4999]

Interesting facts Feli, tyvm for this video, would love a Part II.

[@arinhjorulfr]

Something that stroke me as visitor to Berlin is how much the difference between west and east still are. From design houses to color of street lamps.

[@Jost2011]

10:00 😮 Ma nooooo, you've forgotten the most beautiful Volksfest of all: The *_Allerheiligenkirmes_* ("all saints fair") in *_Soest!_* It's one of the oldest and the largest _old-town funfair_ of the world (i.e. the same number of rides as at the Oktoberfest) and takes place within the city walls on all the beautiful historic squares and alleyways, in front of gorgeous half-timbered houses, 1000 year old churches, ... 😊 And best of all: when the fair closes at 2 a.m., the party continues in the many rustic and cozy pubs... 😁

[@PutDownTheBunny]

I was stationed in Germany (Federal Republic of German at the time in the 1980s) and bought my first car there. I took my muscle car on the Autobahn and took it to the limit and realized at 100 mph that I needed an alignment. The Autobahn is fun!

[@twinmama42]

It's still the Federal Republic of Germany but as there is no second German anymore we don't have to stress the "Federal Republic of" anymore.

[@twinmama42]

@@ThomasVWorm No, it is clear when they mentioned 100 mph. You couldn't drive that fast anywhere in the east (GDR). They had a speed limit of 100 km/h but I would not have recommended driving even with this (low) speed as the Autobahn in the east was practically the same since being built by the Nazis in the 1930ies - just with a lot more potholes or potholes repaired with bad tarmac and sometimes even cobble stone.

[@ub681904]

An american wouldn't have been stationed in the GDR.

[@albertmarnell9976]

Es war nicht Deutsch, es war nicht demokratisch und es war keine Republik.@@ub681904

[@code99code44]

I love your videos. ALWAYS

[@frankperkin124]

A company my father worked for was bought by a German corporation. Some German workers were transferred here, and were really upset when they found out that they only got two weeks of vacation.

[@dorthesanchezz4227]

Of course! Why do you let them exploit you this way? In Wich time are you living in? 1895?

[@lemikarin]

I had more vacation days in 1985 as a beginner in a German company than in my last years in a US company in Germany.

[@Felori]

Hi Feli, ich komm aus Deutschland und find deine Videos super😊

[@soreiche]

The Reeperbahn wasn't seen in the Video but a side street. It was the Große Freiheit (Big Freedom😳) where are a lot of strip clubs. At the Reeperbahn there are a lot of shows, theaters and clubs.

[@albertmarnell9976]

Every city, town and village in the United States needs a Reeperbahn! It brings people closer together and increases the tax base.

[@antjeschroeder]

To describe how normal it is to drive Mercedes in Germany: I am a single nurse with 2 children, I work 30 hours a week and I drive a Mercedes. It's completely mine. It's not leased or paid for by credit. If it needs to be repaired, I buy the spare parts from eBay and have it repaired by a friend. As payment he gets a case of beer (Veltins) and he is satisfied. I think I had in the last 2 years repair costs of maximum 200€ + 3 cases of beer as payment. That's how it works in Germany if you're smart.

[@jankrusat2150]

About the use of Mercedes cars as taxis: Back in the 1960s Mercedes developed a Diesel engine for their cars (before you could find Diesel engines almost exclusively in trucks or other large commercial vehicles, or in farm tractors or contraction machinery). While it didn't have the high perfomance of their petrol (gasoline) engine powered cars, it was extremely reliable and economic, so it became popular with taxi drivers. Mercedes also offered a special service for commercial users of Mercedes cars, like faster, prioritised, repairs and better warranties in their commercial vehicle shops. This made Mercedes very popular with taxi drivers.

[@markkuvuori4300]

Also In Finland Mercedes is most common taxi car. They are expensive but durable. a W124 (E-class) diesel can do one million kilometres with just standard service.

[@twinmama42]

Yeah, there are stories about Mercedes -8s with more than 2 million kms under their belt or 50 times around the equator. And I believe these stories. My fiance drove a Mercedes -8 Diesel from the early 70ies in the early 90ies with 600k kms who was always used as a "normal" car and not as a taxi. Frame and bodywork still looked solid, first machine. Ran like a clockwork.

[@suzuki06g]

All very interesting! points, thank you for sharing!!

[@BeckyWuff]

Hi, Feli. Nur der Vollständigkeit halber: das Schützenfest in Hannover ist das größte Schützenfest der Welt. Grüße aus Noddeutschland.

[@karinland8533]

Die Wiesn ist kein Schützenfest

[@BeckyWuff]

@@karinland8533 Aber beide Feste sind Volksfeste. Und darum ging's doch.

[@victorialo8992]

Aber beides sind Volksfeste und das war ja die Überkategorie 😊

[@randalmayeux8880]

Hi Fili! For a long, long time in the US almost all of the taxi cabs were made by Checker. They weren't very stylish, but they were roomy and reliable. They were excavating a tel in Israel and found an ancient synagogue. All along the façade was a row of swastikas carved into the stone. Here in Fort Worth, Texas, we have an Oktoberfest every autumn. On freeways and the Interstates, you are supposed to use the right lane except when passing, something that is often ignored.

[@Irishfan]

Not true of all taxis were Checkers. In big cities like New York and Chicago, maybe but in other cities, no! In South Bend, Indiana, I am sure they were Studebakers since the police cars were, before the company went out of business. In the small town I grew up in, they were only Plymouths for a long time before they added Fords to the fleet. A second Taxi company started up in town, and it had a Checker or two. I didn't see it driving around town, It was parked in front of the dispatch office most of the time.That company didnt last long. Pretty much since my preschool days on, I never saw a Checker Taxi anywhere we traveled to, except Chicago. The first and only ones I saw were on TV or the movies that took place in New Yotk.

[@pwoody9416]

The breaking out of jail thing was very interesting. During the pandemic I watched the original Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and a lot of Swedish/Scandinavian crime/police dramas and wondered at the veracity of the depictions of jail. Your depiction of German jail cells seems to fit. I like that philosophy compared to the one imbuing US prison. Maybe a video on German vs US police interrogation techniques???

[@albertmarnell9976]

How do I know that this is really Feli aus Deutschland?@officialFelifromGermany

[@gregor_man]

You've probably heard about Anders Breivik, the Norwegian Nazi, who killed dozens of teenagers. He has a double room private "cell" in the prison, with aesthetic furnitures, and he often makes a complaint against the cruel circumstances of his caging. You've probably heard about Eva Kaili, a Greek politician of the European Parliament. She was arrested because of corruptions. The prison in Brussels where she was caged is "the most modern" one. This means the prisoners have tv, fridge, telephone (to be called), thermostated heating, and there are parks between the buildings, playing fields, relax rooms, and a museum. This prison is not created only for this bitch, this is an existing prison in Brussels.

[@philw6056]

I don't know if german police is better than those in the US. Many systemic problems are the same like the inbalance of power between police officer and suspect, but also between police officers of different ranks can let bad behaviours creep in. During unsupervised time a police officer spends with a suspect, there are limited chances to proof that the police overstepped the rules. Even if there is another police officer(mostly lower rank) present for example during body controls, they might lose their career chances if they "snitch" on other officers. And if a police officer injuries someone it's not always easy to proof that it wasn't an accident which is mostly covered by the police but was in fact an attack which should have personal consequences. Also when the police closes their ranks and the union protects their members even a proven perpetrator might get another job in another city.

[@albertmarnell9976]

Do the German police have Qualified Immunity which is essentially a tax payer funded liability policy for wrongful behavior?@@philw6056

[@eltrem2708]

You could watch "Notruf Hafenkante" (ZDF) for an insight in German Police work versus "the Rookie" for the American side (although I don't know how authentic that is)...

[@WanderingBabs]

Regarding Taxis, you'll find in most countries tradition has been that the vehicle used is probably the most popular car in the country as it is easy to maintain and cheap to run. Always local brand if possible.

[@allenminer6244]

I loved to hear that Octoberfest was not what the rest of the world has perceived as "Octoberfest"!!

[@lejanvandijk4743]

and it is in September@@jankrusat2150

[@raempftl]

Oktoberfest is not Octoberfest you mean….

[@skipperfidschi]

@@raempftl JA! Und es ist wirklich nicht das einzige derartige Fest. Ich selber gehe lieber auf den "Barthelmarkt" in Oberstimm als nach München oder Ingolstadt.

[@m0t0b33]

ummm... the rest of the world?

[@ronaldderooij1774]

i think in Europe we all know exactly what the Oktoberfest is, and what it isn't.

[@HyphenDude]

My company starts at 5 weeks PTO (here in the US) but it doesn't go up and those are both your vacation and sick put together, so if you are sick a lot one year, you don't get vacation time that is paid or if you take all your PTO as vacation and get sick at the end of the year, you have to take that time unpaid.

[@JamesMiller-q9w]

Wow Feli I think this is your greatest video. I have never been out of the States even growing up as an Army Brat. And a Vet myself. All my friends in high school at Fort Knox had all been to Germany. I did have the privilege of teaching a young German Girl how to fly an Airplane here in Georgia. You so remind me of her as she also was very intelligent. I know who said the Germans are the Master Race and I must agree as they landed us on the Moon.

[@liqiz1755]

There are so many reasons why Germany is famous, ranging from its famous festivals like Oktoberfest and Christmas markets, to the automobile production of brands like BMW and Mercedes-Benz, to its sporting success with icons like Michael Schumacher being Germans. Then all the philosophers, Kant, Nietzsche or even Marx. Then classical musicians like Beethoven, Mozart, Bach and many more! Dont forget Holy Roman Empire! According to the British journal "Physics World", the greatest physicist of all time was also German, Albert Einstein. Ofc WW2 too, but the nation with the most self-repentance afterwards and worked it up, see memorial, reports at school. Holocaust denial is a punishable offense in Germany. I think Germany is one of the most remarkable and interesting countries in the world, with some others counties of course. Everyone has something unique.

[@JamesMiller-q9w]

76 retired Flip Phone I have never texted on it. I'm so old I write letters and read books But it was German Rocket Engineer Wernher von Braun that took us to the Moon.@officialFelifromGermany

[@alexharvey4944]

Danke 👍 dir. Gute Unterhaltung.

[@annahopp]

I do miss the German Autobahn where you can drive 250 kmh (155 mph) at 4am, only to get a highbeam flash from someone behind you that wants to pass.

[@Paracelsus74]

There are quite a few Autobahn sections where you can drive quite safely 250 kph even at 4 p.m., as there is not much traffic, but 3 lanes per direction, like the A4 heading east towards Eisenach, Weimar, Jena, especially on weekends. I once drove there 220 kph (the 2.0 Liter Diesel Volkswagen Passat reached its limits there...) and by far I wasn't the fastest one there, a lot of crazy people overtaking me with significant speed difference - quite safely, as 3 lanes were enough space for everyone.

[@Lornsen420]

But noone said 4 p.m​@@Paracelsus74

[@Paracelsus74]

@@Lornsen420 Yeah, sure, but someone talked about 4 a.m., where literally nearly no one is on the streets. I mean, what's the point in driving 250 kph in the middle of the night on an empty road? However, there are sections where it's even possible in the afternoon ("4 p.m."), which I wanted to point out.

[@antisymmetric237]

I love watching your episodes; they are interesting.

[@Himmelgrau68]

You mentioned a "work contract" in reference to sick days. Most American workers do not have "work contracts", as understood by people outside the US. I'll leave it at that.

[@IanKemp1960]

Thank you Feli this channel and your videow are fascinating :-) 🙂

[@donpowlen]

Most states, I believe, have a law when driving on the highways and interstates to stay to the right and that the left lane is for passing only. Certainly that’s true in Texas. Unfortunately people from Oklahoma either can’t read the signs or don’t care…

[@rjsieder]

This law, and its enforcement, varies from state to state. Some, like California, just say slower traffic keep to the right. Other states are more specific and say left lanes for passing only. When I was driving between NJ and OH to go to college, I noticed how well Pennsylvanians kept to the right, except to pass, so PA must enforce that rule/law, or at least used to.

[@espben360]

Number 1 and 7 were pretty surprising! The rest I know well. I always get so jealous of number 3. Can’t wait to visit your home town at the end of this month!

[@winkelsarah]

I still can't wrap my head around that in the US you have numbered "sick days" 🤯 absolutely insane....

[@indigobunting5041]

Some of us have no sick days and get in trouble for calling off sick, even with a doctor's note.

[@winkelsarah]

@@indigobunting5041 so sorry to hear this. What exactly do employers think how the human body works. How can they expect noone to get sick...ever? 🙄

[@frey7631]

@@indigobunting5041 This is absolutely horrible! I am baffled, that the people of the US don't stand up against this.

[@indigobunting5041]

@@frey7631 The culture in the US is to work, work, work. Many don't take the paid time off they do get, because of this.

[@lynnerodgers4461]

At your 5th "incident" you get a verbal warning. At 6 a letter and meeting, and at 7 termination.

[@thomashering1482]

Seit einigen Jahren gibt es schon weniger E-Klasse Taxis - ich hab mal einen Fahrer gefragt, der meinte: Ab einem bestimmten Modell konnten gewisse Reparaturen nur in der Vertragswerkstatt sinnvoll gemacht werden und waren auf Dauer doch schlicht (zu)teuer....

[@George-ux6zz]

I'm not sure about now, but Mexico used to use Volkswagan beetles for taxis in the 70s and 80s. Germany would have been so proud of Mexico.

[@ub681904]

They were produced in Mexico.

[@steve3131]

I remember them.

[@blue-fj9ky]

I was an American hippie in the 1960s. The beetles were very popular but even more so the vans...often decorated with amateur psychedelic artwork!

[@lindameermann3760]

In Germany we also say: " If I want to drive am Mercedes, I'll call a taxi."

[@steve3131]

@official.FelifromGermany it would make sense to me. Although many Nazis were executed by the Allies in the Nuremberg Trials, capita punishment was abolished in Federal Republic from its inception and symbols, practices and ideas associated with National Socialism are anathema. I actually think adding time to a sentence for attempted escape is stupid. After all, wanting to escape incarceration is surely a universal desire. It makes more sense to add to the sentence if escaping causes property damage or death and injury.

[@dagmarszemeitzke]

In Germany if you are sick during your holidays, and have a Krankmeldung/sick leave you geht these days back. It is happend to me once.

[@dmitrykazakov2829]

In Germany if you get sick on vacation the time of sickness is excluded from the vacation time. Of course you must get a doctor's notice. Which by the way is three notices. One is for you. Another is for your employer (with the diagnose blanked) and the third for the insurance company...

[@herdifreund7715]

Not quite. A sick note from the doctor must be submitted within three days. Some companies require it from the first day, some only if you are sick for 3 days. And you don't actually get sick leave anymore, it's been digitized since this year. All you have to do is call your employer and they will then collect your sick note online from the health insurance company. The health insurance company is automatically informed by the doctor. Has become easy.

[@sandramettig402]

@@herdifreund7715 it is "wishful thinking" that it is digitized all over germany. I personally don't know a doctor who offers the digital version.

[@herdifreund7715]

@@sandramettig402 Interesting. The digital health insurance certificate (eAU) has been a legal requirement since January 2023. Exceptions are mini-jobbers and privately insured persons. I don't know of ANY doctor's practice that doesn't take part (and with 1000 employees from different cities, that's quite a lot).

[@caraira1909]

@@sandramettig402 because they don't do it that way. Begining on January 1st 2023 you don't get a sick note from your doctor here in Germany. Whey you get sick you just call your employer and they get a digital sick note directly from the Krankenkasse (Health insurance) . When you are sick and get a sick leave from your doctor, he directly enters the info in the insurance system, where your employer can get it.

[@Andrew-Collet]

I don't know why, but the thumbnail reeled me into watching. Great video, very interesting topic as always.

[@johndelong7795]

I've been watching your channel for quite a while so the only two that surprised me were the one about breaking out of prison and the one about the Mercedes taxis. The prison one seems like a technicality, because you are probably going to have to damage property and obviously break prison rules to escape, so there are still consequences. As far as the taxi thing goes, it made me curious as to how common using a taxi is in Germany versus Uber or Lyft. I can't remember if you've talked about this before. If not maybe you could do something on that.

[@Eysenbeiss]

Most people still rely on Taxis, cause people mostly know how Uber drivers are ripped off and Lyft isn't a thing at all.

[@Herzschreiber]

well, Uber is not as common in Germany as it may be in the US. According to "Statista Global Consumer Survey" (from April 2021 until March 2022), only 3% of the people surveyed in Germany said they had used Uber in the last twelve months. You will find some Ubers in the big cities, but not in rural or semi rural areas and nowhere else. It would generate a wall of text to list the different reasons, so I won't. You might find results using google. But believe me, Uber has a bad reputation in German minds for ripping off their drivers and well..... erm... Lyft? I never heard about Lyft.

[@winittiwary7893]

To prepare prisoners for the time after the prison, for most kinds of crimes, the inmates get a kind of unsupervised day trips ("Freigang"), so escaping is possible, without "breaking out" of prison. But for sure these "Freigang"s would be typically only offered to inmates where this risk for escaping is low in the eyes of the people in power to decide this.

[@Chrissy85308]

I enjoyed driving on the autobahn. I used to put my 2 little boys in the and go for a drive. I relaxed and they loved seeing everything.

[@derechtepilz]

I mean, I heard before that US citizens get fewer holidays than Germans but I didn't know that there is no legal requirement for employers to give their workers paid time off.

[@enjoyslearningandtravel7957]

Yeah, it’s pretty sad!!

[@ShawueFan]

that's the great America Trump idiots are dreaming of....because getting more holiday is kind of communism... or what ever they are talking all day long

[@volodymyrkleban1484]

Also no paid maternity leave (except in California). All you are guaranteed to have after giving birth to a child is 12 weeks of unpaid leave, which just guarantees you that you don't get fired within this 12 week period

[@kasperkjrsgaard1447]

35 weeks of paid maternal leave in Denmark.

[@ChristopherX30]

​@@kasperkjrsgaard1447I thought Denmark got 3 years??

[@kingofthejungle3833]

#2 In Australia the legal minimum annual leave work permanent (as opposed to casuals) is 4 weeks (20 days) paid leave, permanent staff are also entitled to a minimum of 10 days personal leave (this is an amalgamation of sick days and compassionate leave)

[@RT88414]

I will say this video was very educational. I definitely thought about visiting Germany because of Oktoberfest and it might happen sometime years from now. I will say I have been learning to speak the German language a little bit because of the band Rammstein.

[@Eysenbeiss]

The Oktoberfest is not german, it is bavarian, but there are similar fairs all over the country, some are even better, cause you won't get ripped of with prices that are ridiculous. Just imagine paying 25 Bucks for two pints of Beer ... when you get four of those in normal Biergardens and such for the same price of course.

[@RT88414]

@@Eysenbeiss thanks for telling me, I just learned something new today.

[@arnodobler1096]

🤘

[@RustyDust101]

And, most importantly, for the Oktoberfest you have to be here in September mostly. It STARTS in September and ends early in October. So if you want to attend it, plan accordingly. Check out Feli's other video about it where she explains everything about it.

[@winittiwary7893]

@@Eysenbeiss The prices at the Octoberfest are not cheap compared to the typical prices in german bars, but please do not exaggerate it, it is not two "pints" for 25$, you can check the prices in front, as they announced publicly, for the next one it will be 14,50 EUR for 1 Liter of beer. Which is very comparable to the prices in bars in the US, at least what I found at google.

[@adlertelekom9359]

In Germany sick days are limited too. An employee has to be payed 100% up to 6 weeks of sickness. (The company has to pay that.) With start of the seventh week in a row the company don't need to pay anymore. It switches to a thing called "Krankengeld". This will be payed by general health insurance and are only 70% of your regular income. This is only for sick days in a row. If you have e.g. 3 weeks sick days in spring, 3 weeks in summer and 3 weeks in winter it summs up to 9 weeks fully payd by the company, because they were not 'in a row'. If you can not use up your vacation days because of illnes, the have to be saved to use up later.

[@luislozano6073]

the thing that mercedes is not considered luxury it was the most mindblowing

[@jankrusat2150]

Have you ever seen an A-class? Sure, the S-class is considered luxury, but this is at the upper end of the spectrum. Mercedes-Benz also manufactures a lot of commercial vehicles, from small deliver vans, like the Citan (in cooporation with Renault from France) and the verypopular Sprinter. They also build heavy trucks and busses and military off road vehicles. And they also used to build farm tractors.

[@uncipaws7643]

And then you'll notice a lot of the trucks and city buses are Mercedes too! Though nowadays it's "Daimler Truck", a separate company.

[@ibpositivemostly7437]

Cool video thanks.

[@joannebarber4845]

I was pleasantly surprised that Nazi symbols are illegal in Germany And downplaying the Holocaust is also illegal.

[@dnocturn84]

Of course. What did you expect??? 😳

[@piah.3670]

Yes. If pictures or comics from other countries have Nazi symbols, they are retouched in Germany because they are banned here.

[@marcromain64]

@@piah.3670 That changed a little in the last few years. These symbols were always allowed for educational purposes and in art and media like movies, TV shows, books and graphic novels, but - for example - not in video games because German authorities had a hard time recognizing newer art forms as such. But they came around eventually. In case of doubt, you have to justify why the depiction is necessary for your work of art/media. That's what some publishers shy away from and commit unnecessary self-censure although there isn't any from the official side.

[@amykolterman3744]

Rammstein took some flack about using it. In one of them videos, it was going through historical events. So art can use it, but I believe the band had to get government approval to use it.that video, I thought was beu

[@joannebarber4845]

Here in the States there is a balance between freedom of expression and a hate crime. I rather Know you hate me because you express it than assume you like me because you can't say otherwise. @@marcromain64

[@MPerski]

I attended Wilhelm Strasse Fest is Wiesbaden a couple of times, so yes … many festivals in Germeny. I don’t know how that compares with Oktoberfest in Munich, but lots of people, lots of music, lots of drinking, etc. I kept a wine glass in one pocket and a beer glass in the other … and I was surprised to see a burlesque show (yes, topless) on an outdoor stage there. Much more liberal than the USA in many ways. Good stuff 👍🏻 Keep up the good work p.s. speaking of the Autobahn, I could not believe how fast our taxi drove from our hotel to the airport 😳

[@EASYTIGER10]

The lack of legal entitlement to vacation in the USA belongs more in a video titled: "Things Europeans find crazy about the USA"

[@ValkyrieMagnus]

Being an American of Filipino descent I was surprised to see a Filipino German Community in Germany and not to mention a Statue of a famous Filipino there as well.

[@markusmschafer]

I am originally from Krefeld, Germany - I came to the US almost 30 years ago - LOVE YOUR CLIPS, great reminder to reconnect with my country of birth ... und, Mercedes hat "eingebaute" Vorfahrt ... 🙂

[@m.xylianix288]

Grüße vin Duisburg!

[@privacyvalued4134]

In general, people pass on the left on highways in the U.S. However, getting passed on the right in the U.S. is a message to the other driver that they are not driving the posted speed limit, that the person on the right is somewhat unhappy with them, and/or the person being passed should get into the right hand lane where they probably belong.

[@patrickcomer4748]

Hi Feli when I was in Germany I got the impression that Germans aren’t into small talk., I always like to chat with people maybe a little too much but I got the feeling they felt uncomfortable with this??..😮

[@sandra7790]

Germans are often very critical of themselves. I can imagine that sometimes they think, that their English is not good enough for conversation. Elderly people (about 50+) often speak no English at all, or not fluently.

[@victorialo8992]

I think you will find that this is a common and often noted cultural difference! Many Germans, especially in Northern and Eastern Germany are not so adept at small talk and might consider it superficial, but will be happy to have a more in depth conversation once they have warmed up to you. I've often heard it described as being "coconuts" (hard on the outside, soft once you break the shell) vs. American "peaches" (very easy to talk to, but hard to actually get close to)

[@caschdiify]

Native German here. I can only speak for myself, but I don't like small talk. In my experience and opinion people only talk about such things as the weather or the public health if they don't have anything important to say. Most Germans I know are with me on that. Yes, many of us think it's superficial and unnecessary. But this could also be a generational thing. I think the elder do like to have chats on the street, on the other hand this is mostly with people they already know and not foreigners. The nice part of us not liking small talk is, you can talk to a German if you've got something really bothering you. Like said above already, we do like deeper conversations. I think the best example is that in the US people greet each other with "how do you do?" but don't expect an answer because the other person also says "how do you do?" just to basically express a form of "hello". That's how superficial it is. If you greet a German with the same phrase, be prepared to actually get told how they're doing. Maybe even in such details as "my grandma is in hospital for having a grown-in toe nail". 😂

[@victorialo8992]

I totally agree with you and I love the surprise at the other end when Germans pour their heart out after hearing "How are you?"! I just want to ask for a bit of sensitivity to the fact that for many cultures, small talk makes an otherwise very hard life easier and friendlier and has an important function. We Germans are very quick to judge that as superficial. But the fact that "How do you do?" (in Great Britain, or "How are you?" in the US) is linguistically considered a greeting and not an inquiry how the person is doing does not actually mean that the person doesn't care about how others are doing. In my opinion, that's really one of those fun areas of intercultural communication where both "sides" can learn from each other and grow!

[@No.Good.Nickname]

I can only speak for myself, but small talk is something I only do when speaking to people I dont really want to talk to. But if it is just a nice chat cause I dont have something to say, its definitly better than akward silence. Speaking as a native german Here.

[@markusstorzer4545]

agreed on the Mercedes part.... I grew up like 10 miles away from their main assembly lines and so they had been and still are one of major employers in the area where they have incentives such as employee discounts, leasing programs etc so it's quite common to see them on the roads and in the parking lots. Hu huum...and I hate to break it to you but I think the Wasen in Cannstadt is actually bigger then the Wiesen by size but not by popularity, that hands down goes to you Munich ;)

[@ProAtFruit]

I’m glad I already knew that the Autobahn had speed limits. I would love to go but I feel like it could be dangerous. I think my parents are going to take me to Germany when I graduate high school so that’s cool. Germany has always been like my favorite country but I don’t know why lol.

[@kenbrown2808]

I had a high school classmate who did a year as an exchange student in Germany. she said that on a four lane stretch of the autobahn, it was often clearly divided from slow to fast: Americans who shipped their muscle car over to drive on the autobahn. Americans who rented a car to drive on the autobahn, people who brought what would now be called supercars to drive on the autobahn, and in the fastest lane, german businessmen in Mercedes.

[@Eysenbeiss]

@burrowedbengal5177 That's no "area" you go to, that's complety stupid. It happens, like traffic jams happen anywhere in the world.

[@Eysenbeiss]

@@kenbrown2808 Rofl, I don't know where you got that from and how you could ever believe it. The thing is, that we have something called "Rechtsfahrgebot", which means, you drive the lande on the right side, except it being the insert from an intersection. So mostly, you drive the middle lane, since the right lane(s) are only meant to pass in a higher speed. That's why trucks are literally forbidden to use the right lane. What she was refering too is something of german humor, since it's said, if you see someones taillights in your backmirror, it is usually a BMW or Porsche, since they are driven by self-important morons ;-)

[@kenbrown2808]

@@Eysenbeiss if you had read you would know I got it from a high school classmate of mine, and she got it from seeing how people's speed was on the autobahn.

[@cheleya2721]

​@@EysenbeissTrucks are partially forbidden to take the left lane, not the right one - slower on the right side, faster on the left lane. You're only allowed to pass by on the "lefter" lane but if you can go back to the "righter" one in order to not keep the traffic from flowing in the left of there's someone faster than you.

[@corvus-coraxverdensis6919]

There is even a quote in Germany ... "If I want to drive Mercedes, I gonna call for a taxi!" ... instead of buying one. @Feli: I really like and appreciate the content you are offering and the way how you are presenting! However, to make you a bit jealous: I will go to the Wiesn in two weeks time. I will consign my first Maaß to you. 😊🎉 Keep it up!! Best regards from the North of Germany, Lalü

[@johnanderson1245]

If I’m not mistaken, the one thing they’re VERY strict about on the autobahn is tailgating.

[@caligo7918]

if you go really fast, tailgaiting is deadly. if the car in the front slows down, the car in the back instantly hits it, no chance to react. this tends to pull other cars into the collision as well, which then results in a lot of scrap metal with people inside...

[@nicholasschroeder3678]

Not my experience. They charge right up to your bumper and flash their lights. Unless you have a death wish, I wouldn't recommend it. If you want to open it up, go on a desert highway and take the ticket risk. It's a deadly game in Germany.

[@thkempe]

​@@nicholasschroeder3678Some people like to take a little nap in the left lane and also aren't capable to use their rearview mirrors. These people only notice an approaching car from behind when it fills the entire mirror and the headlights also come on, which is also the only way for those who want to overtake to wake them up.

[@razz.dragomir]

If you want to go fast and are respectful of someone that might want to go faster than you, you'll be just fine - it's a normal thing in Germany to be respectful of the cars coming from behind. But that means - like @thekempe said - to know how to and to actually use the rear view mirrors and to move to another lane on time. Everyone will appreciate that very much in Germany. In the US the slowest cars always go on the left / fast lane. And they will only move away to a different lane when they need to exit. If you flash them with your headlights they will consider you a jerk, let you go and then move back to the most left lane. So you have to overtake them on the right hand side - which is the real deadly game. I believe I don't need to explain that as it's kind of logical...

[@iWhacko]

it's strict in most of europe. Here in the Netherlands fines are between 300-650 euros depending on speed and distance (or lack thereof)

[@rb2312]

Biggest festival i went to was the Libori fest in Paderborn. Various event, but mostly turning a large part of the city centre into a fun fair for a little over a week. Never had the nerve or inclination to visit a brothel... probably part of that was me being scared of bumping into someone i knew, on the way out. Had a friends who did. Even put money in a hat for another friend to visit one for his first time. Also remember the video rental store having a section for the more colourful content.

[@pollypocket3508]

This was years ago, but I heard that in some parts of Europe, if an area had a lot of neon signs, it was considered a "trashy" area. I was wondering if you heard that/if there was any truth to it?

[@raineramelung7380]

Never heared this.. Greedings from north Germany. 🏝️🍺

[@No.Good.Nickname]

I have never Heard about that, at least for roadsigns, but if yoi mean the neon signs of stripclubs and stuff likes taht then yes, it would probably be considered trashy (at least for living there).